


In Pairs and Threes

by IambicKentameter



Series: The Drabbles of Middle Earth [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Dwarves in the Shire, Fluff, Just sugar and fluff, Kid!Fic, M/M, curious frodo, dwarves come in pairs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 10:37:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5413658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IambicKentameter/pseuds/IambicKentameter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frodo asks Bilbo why all of the dwarves have partners except Thorin. Bilbo gently proves him wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Pairs and Threes

Bilbo’s nephew Frodo, at the tender young age of twenty-one years old, was a very curious lad, and quite nosey for his age. 

He bumbled up to Bilbo one night, while Bilbo sat in his armchair by the fireside, while his dear friends, the merry band of dwarves feasting and blathering on in his kitchen. Frodo quite liked the dwarves, and often was bubbling over with questions about them, where they came from, why they always stayed with him and his Uncle, why Kili was the only one with no beard of his own. Tonight was no different, That being that Frodo had another question for his uncle as he climbed onto the armchair with him and squeezed in beside him. 

(It should be noted that at this point in young Frodo’s life, he was bigger than all the other Hobbit children his age, except perhaps Merry Brandybuck, but he was still small enough to fit under his Uncle’s arm.)

“Uncle Bilbo,” Frodo started, curling up against his Uncle’s side. “Why do all the dwarves have partners except Mr. Thorin?”

Bilbo frowned down at him. “What do you mean, ‘Partners’, little lad? Hardly any of them have wives.” He took a puff from his pipe. “I know Gloin does, and Kili is considering asking Tauriel to marry him, but aside from them…”

“No, no Uncle Bilbo!” Frodo whined. “Not like a spouse! They all come in pairs or threes! I’ll show you.” He pointed to each of the dwarves in turn where they were talking at the table as he named them. “There’s Fili and Kili, they make a pair. Then there’s Dwalin and Balin, and Oin and Gloin! The rest come in threes, you see, like Ori, Dori, and Nori, or Bifur, Bofur, and Bomber. But Thorin’s all alone, Uncle Bilbo. He’s all alone with no one to be his pair.”

That’s when Bilbo shook his head, still puffing away on his pipe. “I’m sorry to say it, little lad, but you’re just a tad bit wrong there.” He lifted his eyes to meet Thorin’s and beckoned him over, away from his brethren, who were still eating and chattering away- this time much quieter and with less of a mess, as Bilbo didn’t want them setting a bad example for his young nephew.

Thorin made his way over and knelt beside Bilbo and Frodo in their chair, resting one of his massive elbows on the arm of the chair. He was a man of few words, and waited for Bilbo to speak.

“Ah, yes, hello.” Bilbo greeted him with his usual balance of sarcasm and awkward fumbling. “My young nephew here, Frodo, was just asking me why you’re the only dwarf without a pair.”

Thorin nodded his understanding. “Right, like Fili has Kili or how Bifur has Bofur and they also have Bomber.”

Bilbo rolled his eyes. Of course Thorin and Frodo spoke the same language, one he himself still required a translator for. “They’re all brothers, aren’t they? The one’s in… pairs or Trios?”

“That’s correct.” Thorin’s voice was low and purring. “But I myself have only got sisters, you see. And they’ve all… passed.”

Frodo nodded his understanding. He was familiar with the concept of death.

“But I’ve still got a partner, small one.” Thorin assured him. He looked to Bilbo with the smallest of smiles. “Your Uncle and I… are very close.”

“Like Mummy and Daddy were close? Or like Mummy and Uncle Bilbo were close?”

“Like your Mummy and Daddy.” Bilbo clarified. 

Thorin nodded his agreement and took Bilbo’s hand, the one not wrapped around his nephew’s shoulder, and gave it the gentlest kiss he could manage. “I hope this doesn’t confuse you, small one.”

Frodo shook his head. “Quite the opposite, Mr. Thorin!” He sat up a bit so he could be at eye level with Thorin. “I always have lots of questions. That’s what makes me so smart, see?”

“Smart something, that’s for sure…” Bilbo muttered, but Frodo went on.

“First of all, what are kisses like? It must feel an awful lot like kissing a sheep, Uncle Bilbo, what with all the hair he’s got on his face. And what about all the furniture? Have you got a different bed now, because he’s so much bigger than you? Or does he have to sleep on the floor, so he doesn’t break your bed? Or what about food-”

Frodo went on for most of the evening, even wandering over to the other dwarves to ask them questions once Thorin and Bilbo grew tired of answering the most mundane of things, like the size of their bathtub or if Thorin had to use different forks because his hands were bigger than Bilbo’s.

Eventually, Thorin lifted Bilbo from his seat and settled him on his lap instead, so he could more efficiently whisper questions of his own into his hobbit’s ear about the tenacious young child Bilbo had decided to take in.

 


End file.
